Caroline Brehm, McDaniel
WESTMINSTER, Md. – A freshman sparked a big fourth inning. A senior didn't allow a hit in the circle. McDaniel advanced in the winner's bracket of the 2015 Centennial Conference (CC) softball tournament with an 8-0, six-inning victory over Muhlenberg on Friday.
Freshman Payton Lewis (Valrico, Fla./Durant) went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead the top-seeded Green Terror (27-10), sparking a seven-run fourth inning with a her first career home run. McDaniel will face Gettysburg in the winner's bracket game on Saturday at approximately 1 p.m. The Bullets defeated Haverford 5-3 in the day's other first-round action.
On the other side, senior Caroline Brehm (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford) twirled a no-hitter – the fifth of her career and her first postseason no-no. It was the third no-hitter in tournament history and first since 2010. Brehm joins Samantha Abrams as Green Terror players to throw a no-no in the CC tournament.
Taylor Trifiolis was the only baserunner to reach for the Mules (16-17), drawing a one-out walk in the fifth inning. Muhlenberg will face Haverford in the tournament's first elimination game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
After just an infield single through the first three inning, Lewis led off the fourth inning and pulled an 0-1 pitch over the right-field fence to break up the double shutout.
With one out in the inning, Jamie Weisser (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) dropped a single into shallow left field before Tayler Hishon (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) drove a double to right field to put runners at second and third.
Lindsey Miller (Gettysburg, Pa./New Oxford) lined a single back up the middle to score both runners for a 3-0 lead.
With two outs, Caitlin Justice (Stuart, Fla./Jensen Beach) singled to right and took second on an error, plating Miller for a 4-0 lead.
Roxana Aviles (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) followed with a double off the fence in left-center to score Justice before Stacie Maring (Woodbine, Md./South Carroll) singled through the left side, scoring Aviles for a 6-0 advantage.
A Lewis single past a diving second baseman scored Maring for a 7-0 lead before Olivia Kipe (Manchester, Md./Manchester Valley) and Weisser each singled to load the bases.
Muhlenberg got out of further trouble with Kelsey Jones' third strikeout of the game.
With one out in the sixth, Lewis lined a single to left field before a Kipe single put runners at second and third.
After a lineout, Hishon doubled to the gap in right-center and the ball rolled all the way to the fence to allow Lewis to score the winning run without a throw.
In addition to Lewis' three-hit day, Kipe, Weisser, Hishon and Miller all had two hits.
Brehm finished the day with six strikeouts in six innings to give her 1,336 for her career and move her into second place in Division III history.